ASIATODAY.ID, JAKARTA – Indonesia is accelerating negotiations on the Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEU-CEPA) so that it is completed this year.
Director of Bilateral Negotiations, Directorate General of International Trade Negotiations, Indonesian Ministry of Trade, Johni Martha said that the IEU-CEPA negotiations had entered their 17th round.
Meanwhile, in the 17th negotiations, the Indonesian and European Union delegations succeeded in completing three technical chapters in IEU-CEPA and encouraged discussions on market access in the fields of goods, services and investment.
The three chapters that were successfully completed in the 17th round of IEU-CEPA negotiations include the Sustainable Food System Cooperation Chapter, Technical Barriers to Trade, and Institutional Provisions.
“The Head of the European Union Delegation and I see that the results of the negotiations this time are quite good and in line with the targets we have set internally. We have successfully resolved discussions on several negotiating issues technically and the remaining difficult issues are also starting to narrow down,” said Johni in a statement. official, quoted Sunday, March 3 2024.
He said that both parties also agreed to continue dialogue and look for mutually beneficial solutions or win-win solutions and to prioritize a pragmatic attitude in the IEU-CEPA negotiations.
In detail, Johni explained the 12 negotiation issues discussed in the 17th round, including trade in goods, trade in services, investment, cooperation on sustainable food systems, trade and sustainable development, rules of origin of goods, energy and raw materials, technical barriers to trade, subsidies, intellectual property, institutional provisions, and anti-fraud clauses.
With the positive achievements in the 17th round, said Johni, it is hoped that the IEU-CEPA negotiations can be completed according to target. Johni also claimed that his party would continue to encourage the intensity of communication and meetings with the negotiating group.
“I hope that the positive trend in the last two rounds can continue to be maintained so that the target of the President of Indonesia and the President of the European Commission to complete the IEU-CEPA negotiations this year can be achieved,” he explained.
Based on data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Indonesia’s total trade with the European Union in 2023 was recorded at $30.8 billion. In that period, Indonesia’s exports to the European Union were recorded at $16.7 billion, while Indonesia’s imports from the European Union amounted to $14.1 billion.
A number of Indonesia’s mainstay export products to the European Union are palm oil and its fractions, copper ore and concentrates, industrial monocarboxylic fatty acids, footwear, and solid oil residues from crude oil extraction. Meanwhile, Indonesia’s main imports from the European Union include cars and motorized vehicles for passengers, medicines, motorized vehicles for transporting goods, paper pulp making machines, and iron pipes. (AT Network)
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